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2026 Supreme(Online)(Mad) 28289
BEFORE THE MADURAI BENCH OF MADRAS HIGH COURT
S. Srimathy, J
St.Thomas Church – Appellant
Versus
The Secretary to Government – Respondent
W.P(MD)No.5956 of 2026
For the Appellants/Petitioners: M. Savarimuthu.FR.S, Father Xavier Associates
For the Respondents: SRA. Ramachandran
The court directed the District Collector to consider a representation for the allotment of government land for a cemetery and pass appropriate orders within a specified timeframe of twelve weeks.
Headnote:The petitioner filed a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India seeking a Writ of Mandamus to direct the respondents to allot land for a cemetery. The petitioner requested the allotment of Government poromboke land classified as “Tharisu” or, in the absence of such land, the acquisition of land for a Christian burial ground, as per a representation dated 25.08.2025. The core issue is whether the respondents are required to act upon the representation for land allotment. The court observed that the representation was submitted to the District Revenue Officer and the District Collector, and thus the appropriate authority must consider the request in accordance with the law. The fourth respondent / District Collector is directed to consider the petitioner's representation and pass appropriate orders in accordance with law, within a period of twelve (12) weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.
| Table of Content |
|---|
| 1. request for allotment of government poromboke land for a cemetery. (Para 1 , 2) |
| 2. direction to administrative authority to decide on representation within a time limit. (Para 3 , 4) |
PRAYER :
Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying for issuance of a Writ of Mandamus, to direct the respondents to act upon the representation, dated 25.08.2025, directing the respondents to allot land for cemetery, as per the request of the petitioner.
ORDER
The present Writ Petition has been filed for the issuance of a Writ of Mandamus, to direct the respondents to act upon the representation, dated 25.08.2025, directing the respondents to allot land for cemetery, as per the request of the petitioner.
2. The petitioner is seeking to allot Government poromboke land for a Christian burial ground for which the petitioner is also relying on the classification of three lands, which are shown as “Tharisu”. In the event that no suitable land is available, the petitioner has further requested acquisition of land and allotment of the same for a Christian burial ground. Such representation was submitted as early as 25.08.2025
3. The petitioner submitted a representation to the District Revenue Officer, with a copy marked to the District Collector. Therefore, the fourth respondent / District Collector is directed to consider the petitioner's representation and pass appropriate orders in accordance with law, within a period of twelve (12) weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.
4. With the above directions, this Writ Petition is disposed of. There shall be no order as to costs.
05.03.2026
NCC : Yes / No
Index : Yes / No
Internet : Yes
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